Red Sox cheat Roger Dean Stadium fans with substandard travel roster

JUPITER, Fla. — For the first and only time this spring, “super premium” ticket pricing was in effect for a Miami Marlins’ Grapefruit League home game. Thursday, fans per ticket paid $12 more for field box seats, $11 more for loge and $10 more for bleachers than they would for a weekday game.

The reason? The Boston Red Sox.

The sliver of Red Sox nation comprising much of the 6,427 spectators at Roger Dean Stadium hoped to see some semblance of the 2013 World Series Champions. Instead, they got mostly organizational filler in Red Sox batting practice jerseys with numbers befitting an offensive line.

Seven of the club’s starting nine position players Thursday do not have so much as one major league plate appearance. The only two with any big league time were outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr. (95 at-bats) and catcher Ryan Lavarnway (269 at-bats).

The most prominent team member of the 2013 Red Sox on hand was Marlins’ catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia.

The Marlins had no comment, but a source said team executives were “outraged” and planned to contact the league office. A league spokesperson said tthe matter would be reviewed.

Major League Baseball has specific guidelines about Grapefruit and Cactus League lineups. Its 2014 regulations state teams should field: “A minimum of four players who are regulars on the previous year’s major league team or who were platooned on the previous year’s major league team on a regular basis, or who have a reasonable chance to be regulars on the major league club’s squad during the upcoming season. Each of those regulars, excluding pitchers, must play a minimum of three complete innings.”

Hmm. Heiker Meneses probable doesn’t have a “reasonable” chance of beating out Dustin Pedroia for the starting second base job in 2014. Deven Marrero is a well regarded prospect, but he’s not unseating Xander Bogaerts at shortstop either.

Teams tend to play fast and loose with the four-regular rule, but Thursday’s Red Sox team was a gross violation. If MLB deems the club violated the rule, the Red Sox would be subject to a fine. The Red Sox, who train across the state in Fort Myers, saw fit to put together a somewhat more representative batting order Wednesday, when they played the Cardinals at Roger Dean Stadium in a World Series rematch. Among those in that lineup: Daniel Nava, Bradley Jr., Bogaerts, Will Middlebrooks and Mike Carp.

Still no Pedroia or David Ortiz or Mike Napoli or Shane Victorino or Jonny Gomes or A.J. Pierzynski or Grady Sizemore. The Red Sox didn’t even send over ex-Marlins relievers Edward Mujica or Burke Badenhop for Thursday's game.

At least the Marlins were considerate enough to wear their full regular season home whites to give the game a semi-major league feel.